Yeah, I've noticed that when they start getting over $1000, they dont get that much better. A lot of it can be cosmetic (paint job, hardware, etc) but personally, the only advantage is that they last just a little bit longer.

i just got a les paul ephiphone upgraded from a squire strat and well i have to say it was worth the money u can just feel the diference when you play the tone the greater control i dunnno i dont own a 2k+ guitar but i guess they are slightly better XD

They're handmade, the pickups are handwired, and the parts are high quality. Try building one by hand on your own and then figure out how many hours it takes to build a single guitar. After factoring in the price of parts $2000 bucks will seem like you're getting ripped off when you're selling it (although that time will be drastically shortened once you know what you're doing and acquire the proper tools).

EDIT: That doesn't mean it would be worth the money to the buyer though. Some people make great handmade guitar for around $1500 that I hear blow away anything the big name brands have put out (and around half of that price is just the parts).

Nah- thats not true- a $2000 dollar guitar is expensive for various reasons- but like anything else you need to be careful what you're spending that 2000 bucks on. If I bought a Zakk Wylde Les Paul, i'd be paying for the name and the bullseye finish and all that hooey. For that price you're paying for certain features and techniques.

One thing that makes an expensive axe worth it is build quality and feature quality.
For build quality, they usually have the best woods and materials. On my soloist, the name on the headstock is mother of pearl, along with the inlays, the neck is bound and the guitar's paint job/finish is hand dressed. (for the difference- look up "eerie dess swirl" and compare a japanese jackson and an american one) My japanese jackson was factory assembled, has MOTO inlays, and has a bolt on neck. The Soloist was built at the USA factory in California by a small team of people. What you're paying for is the American labor, and the attention to detail that the small domestic team provided during construction. I know who wired my guitar, who did the neck dressing and who painted the finish. Also, I know that they picked the best cut of Alder for my guitar's body. As a consumer who is spending alot of cash on an instrument, this is important to me.

In terms of electronics, the pots and electronics on more expensive guitars reflect the price paid. Case in point, my Soloist's pots and pickup switch are more solid than those found on my japanese jackson. They are all steel, no plastic to be found, and can take abuse that a professional musician can dole out. In this price, you get the best of the brand. I have a Japanese jackson with a Floyd Rose- but it isn't an original, its licensed. It doesn't do all the tricks an original can, nor does it hold a tune like my soloist. The pups in a guitar like this should be top of the line- the USA variants of the brand. Be careful with a 2000 dollar guitar with active EMGs- they sound the same in a $200 guitar as they do in a $2000 one. In a guitar like this you want a guitar with passive pups that bring out the nuance of the hopefully fine cut of wood that you get in this price range.

I can't stress enough though that when spending alot of money on an instrument, I would look to see that I am getting the best possible value for the cost. Personally, I don't get why people would spend 3500 on a strat, but thats just me. If I am spending that kind of money, I would want certain features...for example, neck through, exotic woods etc.

All in all, its like asking "why buy a Maserati when I can upgrade my honda civic just as much?" In the end they both are cars, but one is just more finely executed over the other.